my blog-log of writing and other crafts

Carol Bellamy of Meadow Vista, CA makes very elaborate wire art. My mother has given me two pieces by Bellamy as gifts-for-no-special-occasion (as I’ve mentioned before, my mom is awesome!). Each sculpture Bellamy creates is crafted from a single length of wire, ranging in length from 3 feet to 350 feet. Having worked with wire for jewelry on a much smaller scale, this blows my mind.

I first saw the wire tree while window-shopping at a gallery in Auburn, CA. I thought it would be perfect for displaying earrings (if you’ve seen my San Francisco apartment, you know I have, one, a ton of earrings and, two, very little space for art that isn’t “functional.”)

Air Plant Garden Tutorial

The first piece of Bellamy’s wire-art my mom gave me was this starfish. I once told my mom my earliest memory consists of collecting starfish from Pacific tide pools, but I seemed to have blocked out the devastating part where she made me put them back.

So, in the name of functional art, I turned this starfish into an air plant garden. You’ve probably seen this done recently with driftwood and terrariums. It’s easy! You will need:

Arrange your air plants until you are satisfied with their placement. Put a dab of hot glue where you would like to stick a plant. Let the glue cool for a few seconds so it’s not too hot (you don’t want to burn yourself or the plants). Stick your plants to the glue. Repeat until finished. Most air plants like to be spritzed with water every day or so. Don’t forget this part or you will be buying more air plants before you know it.

If you’d like to learn more about Carol Bellamy’s wire art, you can visit her website.